


Bâbâ, mâmân and daddy.

by I_want_to_hunt_the_Moon



Series: Fatherhood [1]
Category: Feverwake - Victoria Lee
Genre: Baby Dara, Behold Lehrer Acting Like A Not Actively Awful Person, Both are thinking about the past, Calix Lehrer Is His Own Warning, Cuddling, Gen, Magic, Mediocre Parenting, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Surprisingly the comfort comes from Lehrer, Telepathy, This is still abusive as fuck, You just can't see it on screen in this fic, do not be fooled, it just doesn't really apply in this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25371235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_want_to_hunt_the_Moon/pseuds/I_want_to_hunt_the_Moon
Summary: Calix sighed deeply and put the report aside. "Come here, pet." Dara looked up surprised as Calix bend forward to gently grab the child under his armpits and transfer him into his lap. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Dara, he still wasn't used to this. Either the child was too small or he was too tall. Possibly both
Relationships: Calix Lehrer & Dara Shirazi
Series: Fatherhood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1837267
Comments: 11
Kudos: 19





	Bâbâ, mâmân and daddy.

**Author's Note:**

> This is set like half a year after Lehrer adopted Dara. So Dara is four and almost five.

Calix was slowly thumbing through the latest report his secretary had given him. The army was in dire need of new jet fighters, with the rapid development of air defences of what was left of North America the ones that were in use now would be completely useless in less than two years. Of course the pilots would need to be trained and modernising all jet fighters would cost a fortune as the exceedingly higher ranked officials from the ministry of finance were reminding him It was getting tiresome, little grey man after little grey man walking in to tell him he couldn't do something. They would send the minister himself soon and Calix would convince him this was the right thing to do, as he always did. 

He was pulled from his thoughts by the movement of a tiny bundle of magic. The sound of Dara's socked feet gently moving over the carpet slowly becoming louder, hesitating near the bookcase before a wild bush of curls peeked into the study. Calix suppressed a smile, the child could be adorable when he wasn't making a fuss. He pretended he hadn't noticed Dara standing hidden behind the bookcase, watching him fidget from the corner of his eye. Dara turned around to walk a couple of paces back down the hall before nervously bouncing on his feet and turning back again. After the third time it happened Calix got tired of it. "Why aren't you in bed, pet?"

The little boy startled and guiltily peeked around the corner of the bookcase again. "I can't sleep," he whispered.

Calix turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

Dara tried to mimic him, struggling to raise one instead of both eyebrows. "Yes, really."

"You were asleep after I put you to bed," he pointed out.

"I woke up," Dara said, the 'duh' obvious in his voice.

Calix smiled. "I can see that. What happened? Another nightmare?" Dara looked at his feet as he shifted them uncomfortably. Calix took pity on him and patted the couch. Dara perked up and ran forward to climb up next to him, he plumped himself down next to Calix with a half- hearted attempt at sitting cross legged, his chubby fingers clutching his ankles.

"I had a dream," he whispered, like it was a secret.

"A bad one?"

"I don't know." Dara gave him a sideways look. "It wasn't scary. It was about mâmân."

Ah, his parents again. The dreams had started to subside with the homesickness but occasionally they would still rear their heads. "Did the dream make you sad?" Calix asked. Did he have dreams about his family in the hospital? He couldn't remember anymore, if he had he was certain he hadn't been sad. There was only room for pain.

Dara shook his head. "It was a nice dream. We were sitting in our garden. She told me about flowers."

Calix humoured him, "What did she tell you?"

"Their names and Latin names. And how they worked. How to care for them. And what they meant. She always liked that flowers meant things. It was like a secret language. Bâbâ always thought it was dumb that flowers meant things. Well, he said dumb but he thought bullshit." The boy was silent for a moment, looking down at the worn fabric of the couch. "I miss them." It was not the first time the boy had said it and Calix doubted it would be the last. 

"Was waking up the sad part?" Dara nodded instead of responding out loud. Calix sighed deeply and put the report aside. "Come here, pet." Dara looked up surprised as Calix bent forward to gently grab the child under his armpits and transfer him into his lap. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around Dara, he still wasn't used to this. Either the child was too small or he was too tall. Possibly both. Which reminded him of the fact that he still had to go over the results of Dara's latest doctors visit. He would have been notified if anything was wrong but he still had to ensure Dara's health. Children were frail and it wouldn't do to have gone to all these lengths to get Dara only to have him succumb to some insignificant illness or the other. He frowned and lay a hand on Dara's forehead. His temperature was normal for a child his age.

"What are you doing?" Dara asked from beneath his chin.

"Making sure you don't have a fever, my dear boy," Calix explained.

He could practically see Dara scrunch his nose. "I can't get sick. I already got the virus."

Calix stroked a hand through his curls. "You can still get sick from other things. Like the flu."

Dara pulled away from him so Calix could see the face he made. "That's not fair," he whined.

Calix smiled at him and pressed a kiss against his forehead. "I know. But it can't be changed." They were both silent after that. Lehrer carding through Dara's hair with his fingers and Dara seemingly basking in his warmth, not showing any sign of going back to sleep. Eventually Calix broke the silence, "Can you hear people from here?"

Dara nestled closer. "Yes, but I don't wanna."

Calix looked down at him, meeting the toddlers big black eyes. He had his father's eyelashes, Calix noticed absentmindedly. He remembered the picture from the file he had on Younes Shirazi. The man had laugh lines around his mouth but his eyes had been wary and framed by very long thick lashes that made Calix wonder if he used mascara. "If you tell me what they're thinking I'll sing you a lullaby."

Dara perked up. "Really?"

"Yes, of course."

Dara frowned, considering the offer. "Are you gonna stay until I'm asleep?"

"If you want." Dara studied his face for a couple seconds before deciding that he was sincere, he closed his eyes to 'hear' better. Dara didn't understand telepathy yet, he only knew that one day he suddenly managed to hear things others couldn't. Calix silence seemed to be the reason why Dara was so fond of spending time with him, he got upset around too many people and Calix's work had been interrupted more than once by his secretary walking in with an apologetic look on her face and a sniffling toddler in her arms. Level IV was not a viable full-time option yet. Maybe he should consider hiring a nanny until Dara was used to being around people all day? How exactly did people go about hiring nannies? Should he hire a full-time nanny?

"Um, there's a man outside," Dara interrupted. "And he's, uh, he wants the thing you have. He wants a sigu- cigerret."

"Cigarette," Calix corrected gently.

"Yes, he wants one. But he can't. Because... because his boss? His boss will get mad, she'll get mad because he's working. So he can't. But he's almost done. With work, I mean."

"What else?" Calix prompted.

"Um, oh! someone's crying." 

"Crying?" Dara nodded, curls tickling Calix's throat. "Why?"

"She's sad because, um, her wife, I think. She's with someone else. Or the woman -the crying one- thinks she is. I don't know. But she thinks the woman is with someone else and they are laughing and eating." Dara opened his eyes to look up at Calix. "She's really sad. Maybe we should help her."

Calix almost laughed, children and their effortless idealism. "No, pet. I don't think that's wise."

"But you always help me when I'm sad. And then I'm happy or less sad. That's an improvement." Dara stumbled over the last word.

"Yes, but others might not be happy. Adults don't like it when strangers try to comfort them. You wouldn't like it much either."

He could feel Dara shake his head against chest. "No," he said quietly.

"Someone else," Calix ordered, not wanting him to linger on the crying woman. He tasted involuntary magic on his tongue, sharp and tingling. It didn't work on Dara but the boy still listened. Telling Calix about the person who was watching cat videos instead of working, the man looking forward to his vacation with his friends, the janitor who was listening to classical music and the woman wondering whether the pants she was wearing really made her legs look long or if her friend had just said that to be nice. When Dara started interrupting himself with yawns Calix shifted his grip on Dara so he wouldn't drop him on accident as he stood up. 

He walked to Dara's bedroom and pulled the covers back with telekinesis before gently sliding Dara into his bed. The toddler was blinking slowly at him as he curled up on his side. "Would you like some plants in your room? To liven it up?" Dara smiled and nodded at that. Quiet child.

"Lullaby?"

Calix sighed. He had already lost too much time but he had promised. What lullabies did he know? He vaguely remembered a couple of Russian ones taught to him by a boyfriend he kept around in his early twenties but he didn't remember them fully. Adalwolf had preferred to make up wild stories about pirates and dragons. Or sing something along the lines of 'shut your mouth and close your eyes, please go the fuck to sleep,' over and over again until their father would hear and tell Adalwolf off for using foul language around Calix. A vague memory of his mother's singing came to mind, her voice nearly gone after Calix had told her again and again to start over. "Alright, is German okay?" He smiled when Dara nodded and started, "Schlaf, kindlein, schlaf-" Eventually Dara relaxed more and more, his breath evening out and becoming deeper, eyes slowly closing. 

"Goodnight, little one," Calix murmured after he kissed Dara's hair.

"Goodnight, daddy," he heard in response as he closed the door. He froze for a second. Daddy. He didn't think the boy had meant to say it, it had most likely only slipped out because he was tired. But even so it meant that Dara had -at least subconsciously- started to view him as a parental figure, which was... good he supposed. It certainly couldn't hurt and he needed Dara to be comfortable and trusting with him. He would encourage this behaviour, he decided. Only because it was necessary.

And if he smiled to himself when he went to bed no one would have to know

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Bita I don't know if you're reading this but I love you and this is for you (even if I have literally no idea if you're interested) and also this is Soph.
> 
> Is it obvious that I don't have any idea of what a minister of defence does?
> 
> Also Dara doesn't speak like a 4/5 year old because I figured he's a genius so he would develop speech faster. Also he likes to mimic Lehrer. Also children of that age are people pleasers so he would try very hard to speak properly to impress Lehrer.
> 
> Also my headcanon is that Lehrer had Dara over for the weekends when he was little. Partly because Dara was endearing partly so he could get in lessons easier. And later partly so he could drag Dara to places like the quarantine zone to traumatise him without anyone asking questions.
> 
> Fun fact! When I'm tired I forget to write Calix instead of Lehrer which means I kept having to go back and change it. (please point it out if I missed one bc I know I did.)
> 
> Also I kinda made myself sad with the idea that Lehrer was incapable of understanding that Dara would be fond of him because he likes him. Even his brother used him in a sense and being Lehrer and also a politician people always have an ulterior motive for wanting to be close to him. Eventually he will figure out that Dara likes him for him but that's not the case at this point.
> 
> I only know two Russian lullabies and both of them are threats. One is about a spider and a strange man in your room the other is about a grey wolf that will drag you into the woods if you sleep too close to the edge of the bed.
> 
> No one:  
> Me: GENTLY, SOFTLY, CAREFULLY
> 
> No one:  
> Me: what if I attribute Dara's hobby's to his deceased parents and they are subconscious things he does for comfort even if he himself will never realise where they came from.
> 
> My headcanons for Dara's parents (I had to think about this because Dara would remember them a lot at this stage) are that 
> 
> Nazreen  
> \- Was someone who seemed very open but after three years of knowing her you suddenly realised you didn't know anything substantial about her.  
> \- Loved plants and secrets.  
> \- Had a lot of difficulty coping with Dara's telepathy because she was basically never alone and she felt like she needed to think only good thoughts to be a responsible parent and not make Dara upset.  
> \- Tended to be calm and was a genius but in the argumentative mad scientist kinda way. Didn't go out of her way to pick fights but she did always win them, one way or the other.  
> \- Was polite and friendly to everyone but preferred to be alone.  
> \- Could also be extremely cold to people and was cruel when angered, even if she often regretted this later.  
> \- Very complex person, everything but straightforward.  
> \- Presenting power plants. Basically poison ivy.
> 
> Younes  
> \- Tended to be quiet. Was obsessed with reading and had a soft spot for greek tragedies.  
> \- Was kinda pretentious about not caring about 'unimportant' things like theatre and flower meanings but was obsessed with poetry. Loved Anne Carson.  
> \- Liked singing but only to his wife and child.  
> \- Was very mindful of his appearance and could spent hours on his and Dara's hair. Was very insistent on getting Dara The Good hair products even if he was three, would do Nazreen's hair but she just made a messy bun and called it a day.  
> \- Was closed off around people he didn't know but very warm once you did.  
> \- Tended to be calculating and risk averse, made decisions with his mind instead of feeling.  
> \- Was kinda suspicious of people bc of his status as witching.  
> \- Was prone to depression as it ran in the family. Whenever his depression got bad he tried to pull away from Dara as to not make him aware of his issues, didn't work because Dara knew something was off and wanted to comfort him.  
> \- Presenting power was superspeed (is fond of reading partly bc you can do it at your own pace)


End file.
